Wheat Ridge Transcript 053013

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Transcript Wheat Ridge

May 30, 2013

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A Colorado Community Media Publication

ourwheatridgenews.com

Jefferson County, Colorado • Volume 29, Issue 49

Green Gables a go for residential plan Infill development gains final plat approval By Glenn Wallace

gwallace@ourcoloradonews.com Efforts to develop the former Green Gables golf course look to be a hole-in-one. Jefferson County’s Board of County Commissioners voted 3-0 to approve the final plat for the proposed 152-acre commercial and residential infill development on the east side of Wadsworth Boulevard at Evans Avenue. The May 21 hearing included public

comments by six people, who all expressed concerns about the development, ranging from traffic impact concerns, to rumors that the new commercial portion might be anchored by a Walmart. ”We’ve had talks with several big box retailers, but no agreement yet,” project planner Steve O’Dell said at the meeting. Gail Gunderson, a nearby resident to Green Gables, and a continued opponent of the plan, used her public comment time to ask the county commissioners to take special care. ”This is one of the largest (developments) you’ve managed. And it’s also special because it’s infill, and just not out in the

county somewhere. You are coming into established communities and traffic conditions,” Gunderson said. The Green Gables property is nearly surrounded by City of Lakewood land. It historically has been zoned for agriculture to accommodate the golf course, but Green Gables Development Company, Inc. was successful in its 2012 request to have the land rezoned for planned development. The development plan calls for 225,000 square feet of commercial space, and as many as 600 residential units. The plat map approved by the county subdivides the property into three mixeduse lots, one lot for high density residential,

one lot for medium density residential, one lot for low density residential, and a lot for low to medium density residential along with “special destination commercial development.” Those lots will be further subdivided, and given their own development plans according to the applicants. The development’s own traffic study found road conditions in that section of Wadsworth to already be congested. The development applicants have proposed to add an acceleration/deceleration lane to Gables continues on Page 10

County to limit open carry Ordinance passed to limit display of guns in some locations By Glenn Wallace

gwallace@ourcoloradonews.com

Elza Rosmicki points out which kinds of crops are growing where in her co-op garden, which is part of the Wheat Ridge Garden Tour. Photos by Clarke Reader

Tour shows green side of city Third annual tour highlights variety of styles

If you go WHAT — Wheat Ridge Garden

Tour

WHEN — Saturday, June 15, 9

a.m. to 3 p.m.

By Clarke Reader

creader@ourcoloradonews. com The Wheat Ridge Cultural Commission is eager to display some of its home-grown talent — those with green thumbs — at the third annual Wheat Ridge Garden Tour. The garden tour will be 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, June 15, and will take visitors on a tour of 10 gardens — nine of which have never been on the tour before. Garden themes run contemporary to xeriscape. The tour is sponsored by Pietra’s, Vinyl Works, and PostNet.

TICKETS — Tickets for the tour can be purchased at Wheat Ridge 5-8 school, 7101 W. 38th Ave., on June 15 COST — $15 (includes lunch from

Pietra’s)

MORE INFO — www.wheatridgegardentour.com

Elza Rosmicki’s home is the location of a neighborhood co-op garden for 10 families, who grow a variety of foods there. Her garden is one of the stops on the Wheat Ridge Garden Tour. Clarke Reader “We want people to see how diverse Wheat Ridge is in the landscapes it has,” said Milly

POSTAL ADDRESS

Nader, co-chair of the tour. “It’s so much fun for garden lovers to see the different things that people are trying. People have done some amazing things with the space they have.” Every year since its inception, funds raised by the $15 ticket price have gone to various charities, and this year money raised is going to Wheat Ridge Feed the Future, Wheat Ridge Public Art Fund and the Wheat Ridge High School Marching Band and Orchestra. The fee includes lunch.

Each garden has something unique about it, but the special thing about Elza Rosmicki’s garden is that it isn’t just her’s — she uses almost all the yard on her property as a co-op garden with 10 other families, teaching them about lunar planting, yoga, and composting. “My mom saw an ad about the garden tour and we called and some people came and checked us out and what we were doing,” Rosmicki said. “I’ve been gardening for the last five or six years, but just in the past year have started the co-op.” Rosmicki said the other families contribute what they can,

Tour continues on Page 10

The open carrying of a gun into some Jefferson County facilities may soon be prohibited, after the Board of County Commissioners voted 2-1 at the May 21 public hearing to approve an ordinance to ban “open carry” firearms in certain locations. District 3 Commissioner Donald Rosier cast the opposing vote, citing support for the second amendment. “This (ordinance) would allow the sheriff to conduct annual vulnerability assessments to determine which buildings it would be appropriate to have this ban in effect,” county attorney Writer Mott said during the hearing. Jeffco Sheriff Ted Mink also helped present the ordinance, that his department helped propose after a couple of recent incidents involving people bringing weapons in to county office space, causing a disruption. Mink said the ban was intended to be implemented only in offices where county department heads had requested it. These offices are places where “a high level of anxiety, and anger, or frustration” may occur. He said so far, the District Attorney’s office, a couple human services locations and the sheriff’s department building were on the initial list to consider a ban. “Obviously, open carry does create a disruption for county staff in some of those buildings,” Mink said. Open carry-banned areas would have to be well marked, to comply with state law which allows for open carry in public places. The open carry ban would not prohibit those with a concealed carry permit from bringing in a firearm. “Until this item showed up I did not realize it was lawful for anyone to openly carry a firearm in county buildings,” Jeffco resident Jim Engelking said during the public hearing. He added that he would like to see the ban extended to all county buildings. Lakewood resident and firearms instructor Aaron James Brown took a different view, expressing concern that the ban Carry continues on Page 10

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